The bomber who injured dozens of people in a 2016 New York City terror attack was sentenced to life in prison Tuesday.
Ahmad Khan Rahimi, of Elizabeth, New Jersey, had placed two pressure cooker bombs in New York’s Chelsea neighborhood on Sept. 17, 2106. One of the bombs exploded, injuring 30 people, while the second bomb nearby did not detonate. The explosion happened on the same day a small pipe bomb exploded along a Marine Corps 5K charity race in Seaside Heights, New Jersey, but that did not injury anyone.
Law enforcement officials spent two days hunting for Rahimi before exchanging gunfire with him in Linden, New Jersey. He was shot several times and wounded.
Rahimi was convicted of the attacks on October 2016, 2017 after a two-week jury trial before U.S. District Judge Richard Berman, who also imposed the sentence. In addition to the prison term, Rahimi was sentenced to five years of supervised release and ordered to pay $562,803 in restitution.
“Inspired by ISIS and al Qaeda, Ahmad Khan Rahimi planted and detonated bombs on the streets of Chelsea, and in New Jersey, intending to kill and maim as many innocent people as possible,” said U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York Geoffrey S. Berman. “Less than a year-and-a-half after his attacks, Rahimi has now been tried, convicted, and sentenced to life in prison. Rahimi’s conviction and sentencing are victories for New York City and our nation in the fight against terror.”
Rahimi still faces charges for the Seaside Heights bomb attack, the Department of Justice said.
• Jeff Mordock can be reached at jmordock@washingtontimes.com.
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